Brain and Spinal Cancer

Chemotherapy Treatment: What To Expect
Nothing matters more to us than getting you well and getting you home. Depending on what type of brain or spinal cancer you have and how advanced it is, chemotherapy may play an essential role in successfully treating your cancer, including adult brain tumors, astrocytic tumors, ependymal tumors and spinal cord tumors. From the moment you arrive for your chemo treatment, one of our nurses will be there to greet you and guide you, keeping you and your loved one informed, comfortable and in good spirits throughout your visit.

How Does Chemotherapy Work?
Using a combination of specialized drugs, chemotherapy has the power to destroy or slow down the growth of fast-growing cancer cells in every part of your body. It can be administered intravenously, by injection or orally.

At AdventHealth Cancer Institute, our oncology experts take an individualized approach to your chemotherapy treatment. Depending on your type of brain or spine cancer, we’ll determine which drug or combination of drugs is best for you. While chemotherapy isn’t usually used as a primary treatment for brain tumors, it can be very effective as a follow-up to surgery or radiation therapy. It may also be effective for patients with recurrent or slowly progressing tumors.

Chemotherapy may be used in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy. Along the way, we're here to help however we can, answering any questions and helping you stay strong and optimistic before, during and after your treatment.

Radiation Therapy: What To Expect
While radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for brain and spine cancer, at AdventHealth Cancer Institute, we do it with uncommon expertise, guidance and compassion. Using some of the most sophisticated radiation technology, like the Gamma Knife, we can target tumors in and around your brain and spine with amazing precision, easing your pain and leaving healthy tissue untouched. Depending on your diagnosis, your team may recommend radiation alone, or in some cases, combine it with surgery and chemotherapy.

How Does Radiation Therapy Work?
Radiation therapy targets specific areas of the body, shrinking tumors and eliminating cancer cells by damaging their DNA.

When treating brain tumors, our radiology team may recommend Gamma Knife radiosurgery, the most technologically advanced, non-invasive procedure that’s not offered at any other hospital in Central Florida. Using this innovative method, we can precisely target the tumor, deliver tumor-shrinking treatment, and have you home all on the same day.

For spinal tumors that have metastasized, your team can use radiation therapy in two ways:

• External radiation, which delivers radiation in a concentrated beam to keep nearby healthy tissue unaffected
• Internal radiation guided by ultrasound keeps healthy nearby tissue safer

Throughout your treatment, your nurses and your radiation oncology care team are there to keep you and your support system informed, comfortable and uplifted.

Surgery: What To Expect
If surgery is part of your treatment plan, rest assured that your health is in the hands of recognized leaders in brain and spine cancer care. Specialized brain and spine surgeons across our network help patients heal every single day through innovative surgical procedures.

Options for Surgery
Surgery can be a promising step forward on your path to healing, and it’s often the preferred course of treatment, depending on your diagnosis. Your dedicated team of brain and spine cancer specialists will review every detail of your medical history and recent tests to recommend the most effective treatment plan for you. For benign tumors, surgery will likely be the only treatment you need, but in the case of malignant tumors, your team may recommend pairing a surgical procedure with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

Some brain cancer surgeries include:

Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery
This is the best option for fast healing times and precise treatments. We have a number of 3D imaging tools and microscopes for the clearest visuals and best results.

Skull Base Surgery
Skull base surgery works to carefully remove complex tumors with open surgery or specialized, minimally invasive tools.

Debulking
Debulking is a strategy to remove only part of the tumors and reduce the size, making sure to leave the surrounding tissue untouched.

In the past, tumors in the spine were considered untreatable. Today, using innovative new techniques and tools like high-powered microscopes and imaging, our neurosurgeons can access difficult-to-reach tumors with skillful precision, all while leaving healthy tissue as undisturbed as possible.